GreekComicsArtistMaryland

Giannis Milonogiannis

Greek comic book artist Giannis Milonogiannis is known for his distinctive art style and contributions to titles like ''Old City Blues'' and ''Prophet''.

1. Overview

Giannis Milonogiannis (Γιάννης ΜυλωνογιάννηςGreek, Modern; born December 11, 1988) is a Greek comic book artist known for his distinctive art style and contributions to both independent and mainstream comic book titles. Born in Maryland, United States, Milonogiannis spent his formative years growing up on the island of Crete, Greece. He first gained significant recognition in the American market with his English-language webcomic Old City Blues, which was later released in physical form by Archaia Entertainment. His career further expanded through his notable role as a co-plotter and artist on Brandon Graham's critically acclaimed relaunch of Extreme Studios' Prophet series from 2012 to 2016. Milonogiannis's journey from creating independent zines and webcomics to collaborating on major publisher titles exemplifies a dedicated artistic path and a commitment to the evolving landscape of comic art.

2. Early Life and Background

Giannis Milonogiannis's early life laid the foundation for his unique artistic perspective, shaped by his bicultural upbringing.

2.1. Birth and Upbringing

Giannis Milonogiannis was born on December 11, 1988, in Maryland, a state located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. While his birth took place in the U.S., he spent his childhood and formative years on the picturesque island of Crete, which is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands. This upbringing in Greece, following his birth in the United States, provided him with a diverse cultural background that has subtly influenced his artistic expression.

3. Career

Giannis Milonogiannis's professional career in the comic book industry showcases a progression from self-published independent works to significant contributions within major publishing houses, marked by a distinctive artistic style and a collaborative spirit.

3.1. Early Activities and Webcomics

Milonogiannis began his artistic endeavors with independent publications and digital projects. His early works include zines such as Roppongi #1-2, released in 2006, and To Aima pou Katourao, a collaborative zine created in 2008 with Anastasia Tsiatsos. These initial ventures allowed him to explore his artistic voice outside traditional publishing. He then transitioned into the realm of webcomics, where he developed several independent projects starting around 2010. These early webcomics include Oceania-2, Large Mobile Gun Force, Our Kind (a fan-made webcomic based on Batman), and Aptera, an unfinished webcomic. These digital platforms provided him with an avenue to build an audience and refine his storytelling and art before entering the mainstream comic market.

3.2. Old City Blues

A pivotal moment in Milonogiannis's career was the creation of his English-language webcomic, Old City Blues. This project gained him significant prominence, particularly within the American comic book market. The webcomic's success led to its collection and physical publication by Archaia Entertainment. Old City Blues is recognized for its unique visual style and narrative, which helped establish Milonogiannis as a notable emerging talent in the industry. The series was collected into two volumes: Volume 1, which compiled issues #1-4 along with an "Interrupt Handler" short story, released as a hardcover in 2011; and Volume 2, collecting issues #5-10, published as a trade paperback in 2013.

3.3. Prophet Work

From 2012 to 2016, Giannis Milonogiannis played a significant role as one of the co-plotters and artists for Brandon Graham's critically acclaimed relaunch of Prophet for Extreme Studios. This collaboration was a major undertaking, involving multiple artists including Simon Roy and others, and contributed to the series' distinctive and influential run. His work on Prophet further solidified his reputation in the American comic book industry, showcasing his ability to contribute to complex, long-form narratives within an established comic universe. The series was collected into several trade paperbacks, including Remission (2012), Brothers (2013), Empire (2014), Joining (2015), and Earth War (2016), with Milonogiannis's art featured across these collections.

3.4. Other Major Works and Collaborations

Beyond his work on Old City Blues and Prophet, Milonogiannis has contributed to a variety of other comic book series, anthologies, and graphic novels, often through collaborations. In 2011, he provided art for "Wrong Turn" in Twisted Savage Dragon Funnies, an anthology published by Image Comics, collaborating with Paul Maybury. He also contributed to the Spera series of graphic novels, providing art for "Chapter One" in Volume 2 (2013), a short story titled "Steamed Horror" in Volume 3 (2013), and "Chapter One" in Ascension of the Starless (2014), all published by Archaia. From 2014 to 2015, he worked as an artist on All-New Ultimates #7-9 with Michel Fiffe, which was collected in Volume 2: No Gods, no Masters. Milonogiannis also created "Combat Robot Rhynie" for Pressure/Sensitivity, a digital anthology released by Wacom in 2015. The same year, he illustrated Tyr Wyrmwood: Dragon Hunter, a digital one-shot with Nuno Xei, published by Comixology. His work with IDW Publishing includes art for TMNT: Bebop & Rocksteady Destroy Everything #1-2 in 2016, collaborating with Ben Bates, Dustin Weaver, and Sophie Campbell. Also in 2016, he contributed art to G.I. Joe: Revolution, a one-shot comic with Aubrey Sitterson.

4. Bibliography

This section provides a systematic listing of Giannis Milonogiannis's published works, categorized by the language of original release or collection and the type of his contribution.

4.1. Works in Greek

  • Roppongi #1-2 (zine, 2006)
  • To Aima pou Katourao (with Anastasia Tsiatsos, zine, 2008)

4.2. Works in English

  • Oceania-2 (webcomic, 2010)
  • Large Mobile Gun Force (webcomic, 2010)
  • Old City Blues (webcomic, 2010-...) collected as:
    • Volume 1 (collects #1-4 + "Interrupt Handler" short story, hardcover, 120 pages, Archaia, 2011)
    • Volume 2 (collects #5-10, trade paperback, 200 pages, Archaia, 2013)
  • Our Kind (a Batman fan/webcomic, 2010)
  • Aptera (unfinished webcomic, 2010)
  • Twisted Savage Dragon Funnies: "Wrong Turn" (with Paul Maybury, anthology, 128 pages, Image, 2011)
  • Prophet (with Brandon Graham, Simon Roy and various artists, Extreme Studios, 2012-2016) collected as:
    • Remission (includes #25, trade paperback, 136 pages, 2012)
    • Brothers (includes #27-28, 30-31 and 33, trade paperback, 172 pages, 2013)
    • Empire (includes #35-38, trade paperback, 128 pages, 2014)
    • Joining (includes #39-43, 45 and Strikefile #1-2, trade paperback, 168 pages, 2015)
    • Earth War (includes Earth War #1 and 4-6, trade paperback, 168 pages, 2016)
  • Spera (with Josh Tierney, anthology graphic novels, Archaia):
    • Volume 2: "Chapter One" (168 pages, 2013)
    • Volume 3: "Steamed Horror" (short story, 176 pages, 2013)
    • Ascension of the Starless: "Chapter One" (168 pages, 2014)
  • All-New Ultimates #7-9 (with Michel Fiffe, 2014) collected in Volume 2: No Gods, no Masters (trade paperback, 136 pages, 2015)
  • Pressure/Sensitivity: "Combat Robot Rhynie" (digital anthology, Wacom, 2015)
  • Tyr Wyrmwood: Dragon Hunter (with Nuno Xei, digital one-shot, Comixology, 2015)
  • IDW Publishing:
    • TMNT: Bebop & Rocksteady Destroy Everything #1-2 (with Ben Bates, Dustin Weaver and Sophie Campbell, 2016)
    • G.I. Joe: Revolution (with Aubrey Sitterson, one-shot, 2016)

4.3. Cover Art

  • Prophet #24 (Image, 2012)
  • Revenger #2 (Square Peg, 2013)
  • Halogen #1 (Archaia, 2015)
  • Atomic Robo and the Ring of Fire #2 (IDW Publishing, 2015)
  • The Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12 (IDW Publishing, 2016)
  • Judge Dredd v2 #6 (IDW Publishing, 2016)